Historic first: Stem cell used in organ transplant

MED MILESTONE: Surgeons conduct the first organ transplant using the patient's own stem cell.

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London: Claudia Castillo can now breathe easier, thanks to an international team of doctors who replaced her windpipe.

Organ transplants are nothing new but this one was tailor-made from Claudia's own stem cells — a historic first that eliminates the risk of her body rejecting the new organ.

“I'm much better after the operation. It's a long process but four months after they operated on me it's much better. I'm fine now," Claudia says.

The doctors stripped away all her living cells to replace the damaged section with the donated trachea whilst ensuring that Claudia’s body does not reject the new organ.

That allowed the donor trachea to become scaffolding for Claudia’s own stem cells which were harvested from her bone marrow, and respiratory cells which were taken from her lungs and nose.

“I'm quite confident that this will open the door to other types of transplantations," lead surgeon professor Paolo Macchiarini says.

The landmark achievement was an international effort.

Doctors successfully performed the surgery in Barcelona this June. But the stem cells were grown in the UK and the tissue engineering onto the new trachea was done in Italy. The organ was flown to Spain just a day before the surgery.

So far there are no signs of Claudia's immune system rejecting the new organ. Her new windpipe is working perfectly. That seamless transition could change the way transplant surgery is done in the future.